A cheerful little tune played as the device retreated. The straps disengaged, and Jax was free. He hobbled up, the lingering pain slowing his movement. But seeing his stats go up made it all worth it. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and left the room. He needed something to eat and to stop by the healers. But, there was still one spot to visit: The Appraisers.

  —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Jax held his loot ticket and entered the appraisal office. It wasn’t so much an office as it was a testing facility. The giant warehouse contained dozens of rooms. Some are made of see-through glass, while others are covered in reinforced concrete. Walking to the glass enclosure, he saw one of the instructors holding a wooden pan flute. His lips pursed, and a sharp note pierced the enclosure. The air rippled outwards and slammed into a group of dummies at the end. The wave of magic smashed into the crowd, causing each to explode in a shower of blood. Crackles of runework appeared on the glass as the red liquid coated the entire back half. Even the tester was a bit shocked at the power. He casually wiped off the fake blood and made notes on his clipboard. Whatever it was, it was pretty powerful.

  Jax took a long detour to the main desk. Stopping by a few different rooms and seeing their effects. He saw a group of dolls that worked together to create a lush field. A pistol that changed the color of what it shot, a sword that drained the life of anything nearby, and a twig that just wiggled a bit. All loot was extensively tested under various conditions and given a numerical value. It was here that slayers made a fortune. The bounties are a pittance compared to the loot sold. After a few more rooms, he got to his own assigned location. He wanted to watch, but the entire thing was covered in smoke…clearly, the tester wasn’t having a good time.

  His ticket glowed, and a heavy hum filled the air. The ground rumbled as the ventilation activated. That thick, cloying smog was rapidly sucked into the ground revealing the demon within. Jax smiled; luck was on his side today. That blue-skinned devil stumbled out of the room, coughing up the remnants of magic.

  “Dammit, Jax, where the hell did you get this thing?” Eroth said.

  He was a low-tier demon from the pleasure realm. He was a skinny man who wore cut-off jeans and a crop top. His hair was thick, luscious, and blacker than the abyss. His eyes shifted between colors every few seconds as the barbed tail whipped behind before his…employment. The incubus was stealing souls for Veroth. While many of the god’s creations died with him, a few could make deals to continue. They were pretty valuable, innately attuned to the universe's magic, and excellent at figuring out looted weapons. It would take more than that puff of death magic to harm him.

  However, to continue to exist, he needed a constant energy source. It was a mutual deal for the city. He’d become a tester and get an unlimited supply of magic. Additionally, he could still siphon essence from others who willingly exchanged it. Still, being an incubus, some of his mannerisms stuck.

  “Eroth, get your tail away.” Jax kicked the snaking thing. The chilly appendage trying to wrap around his leg.

  “Oh, don’t be such a brat. I can’t help you are such a cutie.”

  Jax sighed. The two were friends; both lived in the same district. But all he cared about was sex. He knew not to read into it; he was a demon of lust. He knew Eroth wouldn’t ever try anything, but the constant advances got old.

  “Ahhh, come on, big guy. I only need one arm to play with my joystick,” Eroth said, pointing at the stub.

  “OOOOOKAAAY, WE ARE DONE.” Jax was about to hit the devil.

  “I’m just joking; still, you did get quite a weapon.” He went over and picked up the staff.

  “Honestly, pretty high-powered death magic. I was surprised that such a low-tier god was capable of producing it. He must have spent a lot of energy on it. Still, the drawbacks are pretty heavy. The Will threshold is around 20+; even if you reach that, you’d only get one fire. Not sure if it is worth it for most. Might be best to extract and transform into an enchantment.”

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  “Yeah, yeah, I don’t intend to keep it anyway. What do you think it’s worth?”

  “Oh Jax, why do you need to smash through the foreplay? Don’t you want to know its delectable secrets?”

  “EROTH!” A booming voice echoed through the hall.

  The demon pouted as Ruman appeared. Unlike Eroth, he was an angel of temperance. The man had chrome-like skin, a perfectly tailored suit, and rings of light on each limb. His eyes flickered with white flames and oozed authority. Unfortunately, that same presence also killed any fun. He was strictly business and constantly cock-blocked the demon. To make matters worse, the city had assigned the two the same apartment. No doubt it was a cruel joke to punish them both.

  It was because of that the three became friends. His apartment turned into a refuge for the two. Eroth crashing on his couch…usually with his latest match. At the same time, Ruman demanded the bed; something about how his perfectly pure form couldn’t stand the remnants of the demon. At first, Jax complained, but the angel made some crazy baked goods. Having some heavenly cookies was worth a lousy night's rest when the regular dinner was lumpy soup.

  “High Jax,” he said, crossing his arms.

  “Why do you have to be such a buzzkill? I was just teasing.” Eroth said

  “You can tease on your own time. You still have three more pieces of equipment to test today.”

  “FIIIIIINE,” Eroth pouted.

  “Well Jax, I’d say this is worth 25,000 credits--pending fees of course.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Twenty-five thousand credits were beyond his imagination. He’d spent so many years saving and barely put together 10,000 credits. He could breeze through a Tier 1 target between that and his new stats. It was almost too much money. He’d be a target in the districts. Dammit, he didn’t think this through. He couldn’t upgrade to a better apartment with that much money. He was starting to get overwhelmed…but then it just stopped.

  “Delightful,” Eroth said. The demon siphoned some of the excess.

  That was technically against the rules, and Jax could have called it out. But instead, the two made eye contact.

  “Eroth, I know we are friends. But don’t ever fucking do that again.” He then turned

  “And that includes you Ruman! I swear you two are going to get banished.” The angel held up his hands like he was innocent. Just because he was canonical good didn’t mean he could be an ass. Still, it was a reminder of what the gods could do. Would they still be friendly if not bound by their contracts? Shaking it off, he asked about the soul-gem.

  “Oh, that piddly thing. It’s barely 1,000 credits. It’d be worth more, but I’ve never seen such a stubborn god with so little power. I could smite his ass with a flick, but he kept going on about how he’d return and murder us all.”

  “Damn, any recommendations?” Jax asked.

  “Since he is attuned to you, I’d say pay to have him tattooed or used to enchant armor. He does have a bit of a kick, but I doubt it’d work for much else.”

  “Thanks, do you know any good ones? I bought the cheapest one last time, and they burned out quickly.”

  “Oh, I got just the guy. We used to hook up a ton. I’ll get you an invite, he’ll come to you, don’t worry,” Eroth said

  “Perfect. I think I’m ready to sell.” With that, Ruman pulled out his tablet and typed in a few things.

  “With all fees, you are walking with 22,000 credits. Straight to your account?” He asked.

  “Yup,” Jax replied

  “Great, just sign here. Here. Here. Here. And just need a bit of blood to seal it.” With a prick of the finger, the exchange was done.

  “That's for the hit. By the way, today’s been a bitch” Ruman winked as he closed the tablet.

  As before, the fees were adjustable based on how much they liked you. As long as the city got its baseline, the rest was up to the various offices. It was worth giving up a bit of essence to waive a few fees. Besides, he knew the two couldn’t help themselves. Still, they did their best to pay back what they took. Either Eroth was trying to play the wingman down at the pub, or Ruman using his magic to clean up the apartment. At least with these two, they relied more on emotion than raw life essence. It just mellows him out over stealing some of his lifespan.

  “Looks like drinks are on Jax tonight,” Eroth said.

  “I agree,” Ruman replied

  “Fuck off” Jax said and left. He’d flick them both off but only had one arm.

  “I think you should get that fixed,” Eroth always had to get in the last word.